5 top highlights – July 28, 2011 regular School Board mtg. CES 95

The CES95 School Board met for its regular School Board meeting on Thursday, July 28 at the CES95 Administrative Building. With so much to report on these are only a few highlights.

Reports: Summer school & new bus company

Marilyn Ross, Principal for the Summer Reading & Math Academy reported on aspects of the program which included a good 1st trial run with the new School Bus company. She said things were going great academically. The kids were really excited and wanting to stay in the program. Of the 203 students enrolled in the program, a good 170 remain. There would be a student showcase for parents next Friday.

New Assistant Principal for Carbondale Middle School

Mike Shimshak recommended Marilyn Ross to be the Assistant Principal for Carbondale Middle School. The Board unanimously voted to hire Marilyn Ross for the position. She is a long time Carbondale community member and teacher with prior administrative duties at Thomas School. She knows the kids and community well. In closing comments from a 7th grade math teacher, it could be best summed up this way:

Marilyn Ross has done a wonderful job. I don’t think you all realize how much she does do and how often she is in the classroom and how nice it is to see an administrator in the classroom. The kids, from the second they walk in the door they see her… when they leave, they see her. I just want to say how happy I am to see that she got the Asst. Principal job, and how lucky I am to have had her this summer.

A New Lewis School Strings Program

The Board voted at the recommendation of Superintendent Mike Shimshak to post for a half-time Strings teacher for Lewis school. Mr. Shimshak did some research into the program when it was 1st introduced 2 years ago. He found that among several things it was introduced late after the school year began and its success was cut short. He feels that beginning now will create a greater chance for success. There are numerous benefits to a program like this. This will be welcome news for parents and supporters.
Update on the “Transparency” policy

There was a 1st reading of the Committee and Board Meeting Agenda Format (as shown in an earlier post) into Board Policy 2:220 –School Board Meeting Procedure. Community input and concerns into the format are still being collected.
Disaster Preparedness

For all the dedicated neighborhood alliance members, please note that a resolution adopting the National Incident Management System (NIMS) by District 95 took place during this meeting. This was made possible through a grant which was obtained by Dist. 95 to make our youngest citizens safe during/after disasters. Student safety is critical. NIMS provides a consistent, nationwide approach for federal, state and local governments to work together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disaster incidents regardless of cause, size, or complexity.
Next School Board meetings

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